Summary:\u00a0\u00a0 A normal trip to the saloon turns tragic. I wrote this back in the summer, you may need some tissues with this too… Warning: Character death<\/p>\n
Rated:\u00a0 T (1,450 words)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One Shot<\/strong><\/p>\n
I was wandering to the Saloon on a grey evening; I was nearly at the door, when suddenly I felt a huge pang hit me.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe!\u201d I heard Pa scream, as everything else turned into a bleak darkness for me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joe was strolling as usual to the Bucket of Blood Saloon to get a drink when all of the sudden, a shot rang out from out of the blue and he fell onto the wood boardwalk unconscious.<\/p>\n
“Joe!” Ben saw as his youngest fell to the floor. Blood was coming from the near center of his once brown shirt. Ben rushed to his side, “Joe,” he cried wishing for an answer.<\/p>\n
In what seemed like hours, the doctor raced over.<\/p>\n
“This is a bad one,” Dr. Paul Martin proclaimed sadly, “Ben are you alright?”<\/p>\n
He hardly heard the question and stood there staring in a melancholy shock.<\/p>\n
“Ben?”<\/p>\n
“He’s in shock,’ the Doctor said,” Take it easy there,” he said to the men who were taking Joe to his office.<\/p>\n
“It’ll be alright,” someone tried to reassure the now grievous Ben.<\/p>\n
“Oh God!” Ben cried grievously<\/p>\n
What would Adam and Hoss do? Ben thought as he waited anxiously in the Dr’s front room No!! No!! “He silently grieved.<\/p>\n
After what seemed like an entire day, the Dr. came out.<\/p>\n
“Ben, I got the bullet out,” he had a sad\/serious look on his face “It was a tough one but..\u201d<\/p>\n
“Is he alright Doctor?” Ben questioned seriously.<\/p>\n
“It’s hard to say Ben,” the doctor held back tears “I’m sorry, it’s just…”<\/p>\n
Ben silently gestured his hands on the Doctors now shaky arms. Ben walked into the grey room.<\/p>\n
“Joseph,” He gulped, \u201cJoseph, if you can hear me son,” he was getting close to tears.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ben held his son’s hand, \u201cPlease be alright!” he was begging “God, Please let him be alright!” He put his head by his son’s hand.<\/p>\n
“We came as soon as we heard,” Hoss stated.<\/p>\n
“He’s not doing too well;” the doctor said “He slipped into a coma last night,”<\/p>\n
Adam stood silent; he didn’t know what he’d do without Joe around.<\/p>\n
“Pa?” Hoss said as he walked into the now bright room, “Pa?” his father lie there sleeping next to Joe’s unmoving figure.<\/p>\n
“Pa!” Joe was crying in his arms, \u201cPa!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright son,\u201d Ben comforted the delirious figure.<\/p>\n
\u201cPa…Pa!\u201d Joe cried in a blazing fever.<\/p>\n
“Pa?” Hoss softly jiggled him awake<\/p>\n
“What?” Ben asked confused, suddenly he looked at Joe’s lucid figure and everything flooded back.<\/p>\n
Joe’s hand squeezed his.<\/p>\n
“Joe,” Hoss said,” You just try and get better ya hear?” he said with a small smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cPa, you need something to eat,\u201d Hoss persuaded. He figured Pa hadn\u2019t eaten since last evening.<\/p>\n
Ben didn’t feel like eating, he was already a shell of the man he once was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ll stay with him for a while,\u201d Hoss proclaimed.<\/p>\n
Hours past as Hoss sat there, numb with worry. Joe hadn\u2019t moved an inch since yesterday.<\/p>\n
“Hey’s, you know what we can do once we get home little brother?\u201d Hoss asked the ashen, inert figure, \u201cWe can \u2026.,\u201d he gulped, “You just get better for us so we can plot a scheme or somethin\u2019,\u201d he softly encouraged, as his head hit the bed in exhaustion.<\/p>\n
“Hey’s, you know what we can do once we get home little brother?\u201d I heard Hoss ask me, \u201cWe can \u2026.,\u201d I heard him gulp, “You just get better for us so we can plot a scheme or somethin\u2019,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d I thought, I wished this incident had never happened, \u201cHoss?\u201d I wanted to say,\u201d If I’m gone than what will you do?\u201d I started thinking. But I tried to think positive thoughts, I didn\u2019t need to add to the worry and pain this incident was already causing. I wanted to survive. I needed to survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust get better for us so we can plot a scheme or somethin\u2019\u201d I heard Hoss\u2019 voice echo in my head, I wanted to smile but I was too weak to do anything “Yeah bro” I wanted to say. Pretty soon I could feel my mind, exhausted from just thinking, as I let myself fall asleep, maybe I\u2019d get better yet, I\u2019d hoped.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe, Joe, hang on there buddy, you can make it,\u201d I heard Hoss\u2019s voice echo as I climbed up a ledge, \u201cCome on, you can do it little buddy,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHoss, I don\u2019t think I can, I\u2019m too weak,\u201d I cried.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on Little Joe,\u201d he encouraged me, \u201cYou can do it!\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached for his hand, and then suddenly I lost my footing. His hand grabbed onto mine, and I found myself on the top of the ledge with him by my side.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just relax, I\u2019ll go get help,\u201d he said as he rushed away in a hurry.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoss! Hoss! Don\u2019t leave me! Hoss!\u201d I cried in desperation, as the dream faded to bleak oblivion.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joe’s hand squeezed his brother’s weakly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoss! Hoss! Don\u2019t leave me! Hoss!\u201d Joe cried in delirium.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright, I got you little brother,\u201d he comforted him, \u201cDoc, is there any chance that he can survive this?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know Hoss, now all it depends on is God and your brother,\u201d he tried to reassure him. There was no telling what could happen within a couple of hours, minutes or days.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The next morning, the sun shone brightly in the sky above Virginia City. There was a sad austere in the air, as the town was about to lose one of its most celebrated citizens.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I lied there, too weak to move, as if most of my energy I had before this incident, had left me for good. I squeezed Pa\u2019s hand one last time, as I felt all of my strength leave me. I felt a release. I saw this really illuminous light. \u201cMa?\u201d I thought as I saw her familiar figure.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ben held his son’s lucid hand, Joe squeezed one last time and then he went limp into his father’s hand.<\/p>\n
Ben cried in continuous grief, he would never get over it, not in his entire lifetime.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe! Joe!\u201d Ben sobbed.<\/p>\n
Hoss entered the room, \u201cWhat happened, P-?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s over,\u201d Ben declared holding back his tears.<\/p>\n
“Joe’s gotta be alright!” Hoss cried, “Why did Joe have to go? Why?” Hoss wailed in his father’s arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe, why\u2019d you!\u201d Adam yelped as he found himself in a fit of uncontrollable tears.<\/p>\n
There was nothing to say, there was nothing the doctor could\u2019ve done after getting the bullet out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he cried as tears started streaming down his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou,\u201d Hoss sobbed, \u201cYou needed to get better so we could go detectivin\u2019 again!!\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone was too shocked to say anything. Many townsfolk had wished it never happened.<\/p>\n
Ben was a changed man; he would never get over the grief of losing his youngest. He wouldn\u2019t be able to tell him to get his feet off the table, or see him and Hoss roughhousing it in the house. He\u2019d never get to see his mischievous smile ever again.<\/p>\n
Adam would never hear Joe joke about his \u201cYankee Granite\u201d head of his. They would never argue anymore over what side they\u2019d be on for the Great War going on back east.<\/p>\n
Hoss would never get to help Joe out in a scheme, or help out in his detective plans.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe, why\u2019d you have to go?!\u201d Hoss wailed in Ben\u2019s arms. Ben was bawling, he had lost his youngest son.<\/p>\n
Adam had to walk out of the room; he walked into the back room of the office and shut the door behind him. Tears rolling down his now auburn cheeks, he slammed the table with his fists, first his mothers, Elizabeth, Inger, and Marie, and now his youngest brother. \u201cJoe,\u201d He sobbed as his head hit the wooden table \u201cJoe!\u201d Little Joe would never be there again, \u201cJoe, little brother, why\u2019d you have to\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n
Doctor Paul Martin wiped the tears from his eyes; there was nothing else he could\u2019ve done for Joe after he had gotten the bullet out.<\/p>\n
His eyes were closed; no one would ever get to see his green eyes sparkle with excitement, or hear his infectious laughter again.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Everyone was sad for the next few days, and weeks, eventually for the general citizens of Virginia City, life rolled on and back to normal. But to anyone that knew the Cartwrights, especially the youngest of the bunch, life was all but.<\/p>\n